Meeting Summary
The Committee considered the following
documents:
The UK's block opt-out decision
The Committee reports on a Commission
staff working document that sets out a revised preliminary list
of justice and home affairs (JHA) measures agreed before the Lisbon
Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009 that will be subject
to the full jurisdiction of the Court of Justice and the Commission's
enforcement powers from 1 December 2014, the date on which a five-year
transitional period expires. The measures will cease to apply
to the UK from that date because the Government has exercised
its right, under the Lisbon Treaty, to opt out of them en masse,
although it has also expressed its intention to seek to opt back
into 35 of them, including the European Arrest Warrant. We asked
the Government to deposit the Commission document for scrutiny
because, despite repeated promises to engage often and early with
Parliament, the Government has so far provided no update on the
process or progress of negotiations and most of the documents
relevant to the negotiating process are marked limité
and cannot be deposited in Parliament. We raise a number of technical
issues on the Commission list. More importantly, we again remind
the Government of its commitment to engage with Parliament, particularly
now that an agreement 'in principle' on the measures the UK will
formally seek to rejoin appears to be within reach, and ask the
Minister whether leaving the Committee to glean this information
from press releases and document databases of other national parliaments,
in spite of repeated requests for information, is an appropriate
way for Government to engage with Parliament on such a critical
policy area.
Ports (for debate on the floor of
the House)
The Committee is recommending that a
debate on a draft Regulation establishing a framework on the market
access to port services and the financial transparency of ports
be scheduled. Transport is a shared competence between the EU
and Member States; with this proposal the Commission is seeking
to ensure that EU ports can become more efficient, competitive
and able to cope with increased demands in transport and logistics.
Some 47 UK ports would fall within the scope of this legislation.
When we initially considered this proposal we questioned its utility;
subsequently we reminded the Government that we would wish to
recommend a debate following either news of the European Parliament's
consideration of the matter in March of this year or substantial
progress in negotiations by the Greek Presidency. Following an
update at the June Transport Council, the Minister now tells us
that Council working group discussions have now resumed and the
Italian Presidency hopes to reach a general approach on the proposal
at the 8 October Transport Council. Given the intervening recesses,
we ask that the debate take place in the two weeks beginning 1
September on the floor of the House.
EU General Budget 2015: Draft Budget
(for debate in European Committee B)
The Commission's Draft Budget is the
first stage in the adoption by the Council and the European Parliament
of the EU Budget for the following year. The Government writes
that it will again seek budgetary restraint and discipline through
working closely with like-minded states for the EU Budget for
2015. As with previous years, the Committee is recommending that
the Draft EU Budget for 2015, setting out the Commission's proposals
for EU expenditure, be debated in European Committee. We further
recommend that it be debated as soon as practically possible,
and certainly, before the European Parliament's first reading.
European energy security (for debate
in European Committee A)
The Committee has also recommended the
Commission Communication on European Energy Security for debate
in European Committee A.
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